Event Comment: Some Noise at
the Dancers, but not great (
Cross). Tomorrow will be publish'd
The Dancers Damn'd; Or The Devil to Pay at the old House. Price 6d. Printed for
R. Griffiths. [Appears to be an eyewitness, journalistic account, but turns into a considered attack upon mob patriotism. Author purports to describe
the action which took place Wednesday night 12 Nov. 1755: 'When
the Chinese scene was expos'd,
the leader of
the Loyal party advanced to
the front of
the Gallery and thus bespake
the House: "O
Britons! O my Countrymen! Ye will certainly not suffer
these foreign clogs to amuse us. Our destruction is at hand.
These sixty dancers are come over with a design to undermine our constitution. This
Navarre is
Marshall Lewendahl, and
the least amongst
them is an ensign, disguised in order to perpetrate our ruin!"' After alternate encouragement and abuse Reason, who had descended from
the clouds, spoke: "I came hi
ther by
the persuasion of Truth and Justice to tell you that amongst all this number of dancers that now stand ready to entertain you
there are no more than Four
French men and about
the same number of females; that
their Chief is a
Swiss Protestant, who, had not his merit protected him would have been hiss'd off
the stage at
Paris, for being a Swiss Protestant. And will you damn him for
the same reason? Will you pay less regard to Genius than a
French Audience? Here a cat-call and one cried out: 'Swiss! What
the devil do we know of
Swiss! a Swiss is a foreigner, and all foreigners are Frenchmen; and so damn you all!"'] Receipts: #140 (
Cross)